The new Romeo and Juliet, directed by Sam Gold on Broadway, brings a whole new life to the beloved Shakespeare play from 1597. Many fans were intrigued by the approach that Gold took while working on Romeo and Juliet, as he has worked on pieces like Macbeth in the past. With a Tony Award under his belt for Best Director of a Musical, there was no doubt that he would put a great spin on the romantic yet tragic love story. 

With such a treasured and adored Shakespeare production, there is always the worry that Gold would take the idea of modernizing it too far, and lose elements that are so loved by fans. However, Gold made the choice to keep the play old English, and kept the essence and plotline of the original. 

Before the play even begins the audience is immersed in the story. Even entering the lobby is an experience, and is made to feel euphoric. When walking down the stairs into the lobby there are deep pink overhead lights that give the space an almost dreamy feel. Inside the lobby there is merch, a bar, a vending machine, and an infectious excitement throughout. Above the bar has “I drink to thee” written on the wall in a bright neon yellow color, this adds to the feel of a revamped Romeo and Juliet . The people behind the show did a great job at making the viewer enter a different realm as they go inside to the lobby and theatre.

From sparkly formal attire, to crop tops, to cat t-shirts the show takes a new approach on what costumes mean for the characters in the show. The brains behind these looks, Enver Chakartash, states that the inspiration behind these iconic looks were from Troye Sivan and the music video for his song Rush. Troye Sivan gives off a very captivating and ethereal essence in his music, and the same energy is seen throughout the Broadway production, not just in costume design but also the lighting and little added features in the space. 

In this production there is no such thing as a “bad seat”, because the actors perform throughout the whole theatre. The venue is in the style of theater in the round, and is performed at the famous Circle in the Square theater, which brings a whole new layer of intimacy between the performers and the audience. The performance is very interactive and has various scenes where an actor will ask a specific member of the audience a question, or to borrow their chair. Another unique feature of this auditorium are the passageways above the theatre that the actors used to climb out of a scene, or continue a conversation out of the main view of the audience. At parts in the performance you can look above and see the actors walking through it. Since there are no main sets for this show they have embedded spots in the audience that represents Romeo’s bedroom, with a ladder leading to the walkway above where many of the actors enter and leave a scene through. Another feature of this theatre is the shifting circle stage in the middle of the room. Almost halfway through the show there is a scene change where half of the floor lifts up and flips over to change to a floral field.

The one scene that many fans go into the play to see are the bedroom scenes. Multiple times in the show, there is a bed lowered from the ceiling symbolizing a character’s bedroom. Though the scenes are not new additions to the play, the moving part of the stage elevates and makes them feel like vital and unique parts of the show. 

Many fans were also excited with what great things Jack Antonoff could bring to this production, as he is most well known for being the mastermind behind the songs of many artists like Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, FKA Twigs, and Troye Sivan. In the play there is one full song,  Man Of The House written by Jack Antonoff and Ryan Beatty and performed by Rachel Zegler. This song leaves the audience quiet and reflective, as the lyrics go beyond the realm of Romeo and Juliet. It fits perfectly because within the production, the lyrics make sense with the scene and what the characters are going through, yet it is also a genuinely beautiful piece that can be relatable to the everyday person. Though this is the only full song performed there are still other tunes:in the theatre there is a live DJ who adds rhythms and tempos to conclude and start scenes. Before the performance starts, the DJ sets the mood of the whole performance; all of the actors are on stage socializing with one another until the DJ begins to mix and blend beats that are hypnotic and high energy, which clue the audience in and grasp their attention.

The main stars of the show were Kit Conner (who starred in hits like Heartstopper, Rocketman and The Wild Robot) playing Romeo and Rachel Zegler (who was in West Side Story, and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) playing Juliet. Both Conner and Zegler have a loyal following who were excited to see this production solely for their roles, and in hopes of seeing them at the stage door after the show. This production of Romeo and Juliet also cut down the number of characters from 22 to 15, with those characters being played by only ten actors. For example, actor Gían Pérez played Samson, Paris, and Peter. This made some scenes confusing to the audience because there are only subtle costume differences between the characters. In the playbill there is a paper that shows a family tree and which characters are connected to whom and has a little picture of the character to give the viewer more context, and a much-needed reference to help with the confusion. 

When it comes to the marketing of this production the marketing team knew their audience and made sure to post and make content for their target viewers: Gen-Z. With charming videos of Kit Conner and Rachel Zegler showing off their chemistry, many people were hooked and excited to see their chemistry on stage. There is also a prominent use of neon colors in all of their ads, promotions, and media posts which become very distinctive to this production. These vivid colors bring a very youthful feel, and pull away from the traditional feel and tone of this production. 

In conclusion, the Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet is an unforgettable and unique take on a well known classic. It incorporates aspects from the original piece while adding a modern and youthful feel to it. This show is a beautifully executed performance that will leave a lasting impression on many. It is visibly stunning and has many distinctive and one of a kind moments. This play is a must see for anyone who loves Shakespeare, or wants to see Romeo and Juliet from a different perspective.